Biden order addresses right-to-repair, other rural-interest areas - Entrepreneur Generations

President Biden signed an executive order Friday meant to increase business competition and blunt the power of big businesses. "The order looks to build off of an Obama era executive order which encouraged agencies to consider competition impacts in their decisions," Ximena Bustillo reports for Politico's Weekly Agriculture. "But that order was not closely followed and was later overturned by Trump appointees."

The order addresses right-to-repair laws, long a goal of farming advocates, as well as a host of other issues with rural resonance. In fact, the Agriculture Department will be responsible for one-fifth of the 72 specific action points in the order, Chuck Abbott reports for Food & Environment Reporting Network.

"Following the signing of the executive order, the Agriculture Department unveiled new funding and regulations to reduce concentration in the meat sector. USDA will offer $500 million in grants, loans, and other assistance to help new meat and poultry processors enter the market, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced in Iowa on Friday. The department will also move forward with a series of regulations to protect farmers and ranchers who work with large agribusinesses," Bustillo reports. "USDA is also moving to enhance its enforcement of the century-old Packers and Stockyards Act, which monitors anti-competitive practices in the meat and poultry sector; increase whistleblower protections; and tighten the rules for poultry grower tournament systems — a payment system where farmers are ranked against each other."

Here are some other key areas addressed in the order, according to The Wall Street Journal:

• The order would bring back net-neutrality rules repealed during the Trump administration.
• Another target: Occupational licensing requirements that often curb workers' geographic mobility. In rural areas, this is of especial interest to military spouses since many can't get jobs in their chosen field when they move to a base in another state.
• The order seeks to lower prescription drug prices and increase the use of generic drugs.
• The order encourages the Federal Maritime Commission to increase enforcement against ocean carriers levying excessive charges. That would help farmers that depend on export markets.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2ULmVW4 Biden order addresses right-to-repair, other rural-interest areas - Entrepreneur Generations

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